How rootstocks contribute to the control of scion transpiration under drought is poorly understood. We investigated the role of root characteristics, hydraulic conductance and chemical signals (abscisic acid, ABA) in the response of stomatal conductance (gs) and transpiration (E) to drought in Cabernet Sauvignon (Vitis vinifera) grafted onto drought-sensitive (Vitis riparia) and drought-tolerant (Vitis berlandieri × Vitis rupestris 110R) rootstocks. All combinations showed a concomitant reduction in gs and E, and an increase in xylem sap ABA concentration during the drought cycle...

Sugarcane is one of the most important crops worldwide and is a key plant for the global production of sucrose. Sugarcane cultivation is severely affected by drought stress and it is considered as the major limiting factor for their productivity. In recent years, this plant has been subjected to intensive research focused on improving its resilience against water scarcity; particularly the molecular mechanisms in response to drought stress have become an underlying issue for its improvement. To better understand water stress and the molecular mechanisms we performed a de novo transcriptomic assembly of sugarcane (var...

As keystone species, sea stars serve to maintain biodiversity and species distribution through trophic level interactions in marine ecosystems. Recently, Sea Star Wasting Disease (SSWD) has caused widespread mass mortality in several sea star species from the Pacific Coast of the United States of America (USA) and Asterias forbesi on the Atlantic Coast. A densovirus, named Sea Star associated Densovirus (SSaDV), has been associated with the wasting disease in Pacific Coast sea stars, and limited samples of A...

In order to better understand the complex geologic history of the Mediterranean area, we have analysed evolutionary history, phylogeographic structure and molecular diversity of freshwater fishes belonging to the genus Telestes. As primary freshwater fishes distributed largely in the Mediterranean basin, this genus represents a suitable model system for investigating the historical biogeography of freshwater drainage systems in southern Europe. In this investigation we have included samples representing all Telestes species and based our analyses on one mitochondrial and one nuclear gene...

The Belt and Road is an initiative of cooperation and development that was proposed by China. Moreover, most of the spanning countries faced water shortages and agriculture consumed a lot of water. Virtual water links water, food and trade and is an effective tool to ease water shortages. Therefore, this paper aims to understand the Belt and Road from the new perspective of virtual water trade of agricultural products. We considered agricultural products trade from 2001 to 2015. On the whole, the results indicated that China was in virtual water trade surplus with the countries along the Belt and Road...

BACKGROUND: Thailand has employed a system of compulsory drug detention centres (CDDCs) where drug users are confined following arrest. Although concerns regarding CDDCs persist, research focused on CDDCs in Thailand is limited. We undertook this study to explore experiences with CDDCs among people who inject drugs (PWID) in Thailand. METHODS: Data were derived from the Mitsampan Community Research Project, a mixed- methods study involving PWID in Bangkok. Between July 2011 and June 2012, semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted with PWID who had been exposed to CDDCs...

While the presence of iron is generally not seen as favorable for UV-based treatment systems due to lamp fouling and decreased UV transmittance, we show that low levels of iron can lead to improvements in the abatement of chemicals in the UV-hydrogen peroxide advanced oxidation process. The oxidation potential of an iron-assisted UV/H2O2 (UV254 + H2O2 + iron) process was evaluated at neutral pH using iron levels below USEPA secondary drinking water standards (<0.3 mg/L). Para-chlorobenzoic acid (pCBA) was used as a hydroxyl radical (HO) probe to quantify HO steady state concentrations...

The development of efficient, cost-effective and long-lived electro-catalyst is necessary for the realization of practically viable water-splitting systems. A trifunctional electrocatalyst for water splitting (hydrogen evolution, oxygen reduction and oxygen evolution reaction, HER/ORR/OER) was designed via eco-friendly and facial way. CoFe2O4 nanoparticles embedded in nitrogen doped mesoporous carbon were prepared using chicken egg white/albumin after pyrolysis at different temperatures, 700, 800, 900 and 1000 °C...

Lack of deep understanding of nanoparticles (NPs) actions in oil/water interface set an obstacle to practical applications of Pickering emulsions. Fluorescence labels by incorporation of carbon dots (CDs) into poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) matrix can not only mark the action of PNIPAM-based NPs in the interface, but also reflect the colloidal morphologies of PNIPAM. In this work, we employed coaxial electrospraying for fabricating core-shell nanospheres of cellulose acetate encapsulated by PNIPAM and facile incorporation of CDs in PNIPAM shell was achieved simultaneously...

INTRODUCTION: Patient who was undergoing hemodialysis (HD) thrice weekly usually gain 1 to 4 kg of weight in interdialytic period, mainly due to fluid accumulation by ingestion of water. Ultrafiltration (UF) during HD will be need to remove fluid excess to avoid severe medical complications secondary to fluid overload. However, in pregnant woman UF can increase the episodes of intradialytic hypotension which may lead to placental ischemic injury and predispose to fetal distress. There is little information about safe fluid amount withdrawn by UF during pregnancy...

Ni Nanoparticles (NPs) consisting of Ni, NiO and Ni(OH)2 have been formed on Ti substrates by electrodeposition as electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in alkaline solution. The deposition parameters including the potential range and the scan rate were varied, and the resulting NPs were investigated by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Additionally, the chemical composition of the NPs changes using different conditions, and it was found that the catalytic activity increases with an increasing amount of NiO...

Infants and children are at higher risk than adolescents and adults for exposure to environmental toxins via ingestion for a number of reasons: their smaller size (and proportionately larger dose of ingested toxins), their closer proximity to the ground, dirt, and indoor dust, their boundless curiosity and oral exploratory behaviors, pica habits that may persist into school-age for children with autism or other developmental delays, their proportionately larger daily water and milk intake, and food preferences that differ markedly from adolescents and adults...

A reliable, fast and highly sensitive analytical method utilizing dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction and gold nanoparticles probes was developed for the determination of ziram. The method is based on the in situ formation of gold nanoparticles in carbon tetrachloride as organic phase. It was found that the trace levels of ziram influenced on the formation of gold nanoparticles, leading to an absorbance change of sedimented phase. This results of the colorimetric determination of ziram were in the concentration range of 0...

BACKGROUND: Adult female Anopheles mosquitoes can transmit Plasmodium parasites that cause malaria. Some fish species eat mosquito larvae and pupae. In disease control policy documents, the World Health Organization (WHO) includes biological control of malaria vectors by stocking ponds, rivers, and water collections near where people live with larvivorous fish to reduce Plasmodium parasite transmission. In the past, the Global Fund has financed larvivorous fish programmes in some countries, and, with increasing efforts in eradication of malaria, policymakers may return to this option...

Nanobubbles in liquids are mysterious gaseous objects with exceptional stability. They promise a wide range of applications, but their production is not well controlled and localized. Alternating polarity electrolysis of water is a tool that can control the production of bulk nanobubbles in space and time without generating larger bubbles. Using the schlieren technique, the detailed three-dimensional structure of a dense cloud of nanobubbles above the electrodes is visualized. It is demonstrated that the thermal effects produce a different schlieren pattern and have different dynamics...

The capabilities of conductive nanomaterials to be produced in liquid form with well-defined chemical, physical, and biological properties are highly important for the construction of next-generation flexible bioelectronic devices. Although functional graphene nanomaterials can serve as attractive liquid nanoink platforms for the fabrication of bioelectronics, scalable synthesis of graphene nanoink with an integration of high colloidal stability, water processability, electrochemical activity, and especially bioactivity remains a major challenge...

A ZnO branched-nanowire (BNW) photoanode was doped with N for use in a photoelectrochemical cell (PEC) to generate H2 from water splitting. First, ZnO BNWs were synthesized by chemical bath deposition method. Two experimental methods were used for N-doping: the time-controlled direct-current glow discharge plasma (DCGDP) and the DC magnetron plasma (DCMP) methods, to optimize N-doping of the NW structure. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) provided the N distribution and atomic percentage in the BNWs. The XPS results confirmed that N distribution into ZnO BNWs occurred by N substitution of O sites in the ZnO structure and through well-screened molecular N2...

Objective: The aim of the present study was to improve bioavailability of an important antiretroviral drug, Darunavir (DRV), which has low water solubility and poor intestinal absorption through solid dispersion (SD) approach incorporating polymer with P-glycoprotein inhibitory potential. Methods: A statistical approach where design of experiment (DoE) was used to prepare SD of DRV with incorporation of P-glycoprotein inhibitors. Using DoE, different methods of preparation, like melt, solvent evaporation, and spray drying method, utilizing carriers like Kolliphor TPGS and Soluplus were evaluated...

Background: L. pneumophila is the main causative agent of Legionnaires' disease. Free-living amoeba in natural aquatic environments is the reservoir and shelter for L. pneumophila. From natural water sources, L. pneumophila can colonize artificial environments such as cooling towers and hot-water systems, and then spread in aerosols, infecting the susceptible person. Therefore, molecular phylogeny and genetic variability of L. pneumophila from different sources (natural water, artificial water, and human lung tissue) might be distinct because of the selection pressure in different environments...